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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Saccharum viguieri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short. Butt sheaths hirsute; persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms erect; 50–100 cm long. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches lacking. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths keeled; hirsute. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.7–1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades filiform; terete; 30–70 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless throughout, or except near base.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme.

Panicle 4–12 cm long. Primary panicle branches 5–7 in number; 1.5–8 cm long.

Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Companion sterile spikelets rudimentary, or well-developed; comprising 2 subequal glumes without lemmas, or male; oblong; 2–8 mm long. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1-awned.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 7–9.5 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus pilose; base truncate.

GLUMES Glumes reaching apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 2-keeled; 9–11 -veined. Lower glume surface pilose. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 7 -veined. Upper glume primary vein eciliate, or ciliate. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; hyaline; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; hyaline; 3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; incised 0.33 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; 10–15 mm long overall; with twisted column.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gr Madag 1997.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.